The Rock
The Rock is both a Northwestern landmark and a space for students to make their voices visible.
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⭐ The Rock
The Rock, is not actually a rock! As the story goes, many years ago The Rock was actually a large purple quartz fountain. One winter, the fountain froze over and the pipes burst, rendering it totally useless. A few years later, a group of first-years went out in the middle of the night and painted The Rock, writing something along the lines of, "freshmen rule, seniors drool." The fourth-years were not too happy about this and washed The Rock the next day.
From then on, painting The Rock became a tradition. There are only two rules for painting The Rock: you have to paint in the middle of the night like the first students did, and you have to guard The Rock for at least 24 hours beforehand. After that, you can paint The Rock with pretty much anything, as it is a testament to free speech on our campus. The Rock provides a focal point for student organization and broadcasting of student voices on campus. There is even a 24/7 "Rock Cam" publicly accessible online, which some students use to paint and broadcast messages to friends and family at home.
From then on, painting The Rock became a tradition. There are only two rules for painting The Rock: you have to paint in the middle of the night like the first students did, and you have to guard The Rock for at least 24 hours beforehand. After that, you can paint The Rock with pretty much anything, as it is a testament to free speech on our campus. The Rock provides a focal point for student organization and broadcasting of student voices on campus. There is even a 24/7 "Rock Cam" publicly accessible online, which some students use to paint and broadcast messages to friends and family at home.
